Patient education process in teaching hospitals of Tehran University of medical sciences

Background: Patient education is widely recognized as a core component of nursing. Patient education can lead to quality outcomes including adherence, quality of life, patients' knowledge of their illness and self-management. This study aimed to clarify patient education process in teaching hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013. In this descriptive quantitative study, the sample covered 187 head nurses selected from ten teaching hospitals through convenience sampling. Data were collected with a questionnaire developed specifically for this study. The questionnaire measured patient education process in four dimensions: need assessment, planning, implementing and evaluating. Results: The overall mean score of patient education was 3.326±0.0524. Among the four dimensions of the patient education process, planning was in the highest level (3.570±0.0591) and the lowest score belonged to the evaluation of patient education (2.840 ±0.0628). Conclusion: Clarifying patient education steps, developing standardized framework and providing easily understandable tool-kit of the patient education program will improve the ability of nurses in delivering effective patient education in general and specialized hospitals

Towards the knittability of graphene oxide fibres

Recent developments in graphene oxide fibre (GO) processing include exciting demonstrations of hand woven textile structures. However, it is uncertain whether the fibres produced can meet the processing requirements of conventional textile manufacturing. This work reports for the first time the production of highly flexible and tough GO fibres that can be knitted using textile machinery. The GO fibres are made by using a dry-jet wet-spinning method, which allows drawing of the spinning solution (the GO dispersion) in several stages of the fibre spinning process. The coagulation composition and spinning conditions are evaluated in detail, which led to the production of densely packed fibres with near-circular cross-sections and highly ordered GO domains. The results are knittable GO fibres with Young\u27s modulus of ~7.9 GPa, tensile strength of ~135.8 MPa, breaking strain of ~5.9%, and toughness of ~5.7 MJ m(-3). The combination of suitable spinning method, coagulation composition, and spinning conditions led to GO fibres with remarkable toughness; the key factor in their successful knitting. This work highlights important progress in realising the full potential of GO fibres as a new class of textile

Fibre electronics: towards scaled-up manufacturing of integrated e-textile systems

The quest for a close human interaction with electronic devices for healthcare, safety, energy and security has driven giant leaps in portable and wearable technologies in recent years. Electronic textiles (e-textiles) are emerging as key enablers of wearable devices. Unlike conventional heavy, rigid, and hard-to-wear gadgets, e-textiles can lead to lightweight, flexible, soft, and breathable devices, which can be worn like everyday clothes. A new generation of fibre-based electronics is emerging which can be made into wearable e-textiles. A suite of start-of-the-art functional materials have been used to develop novel fibre-based devices (FBDs), which have shown excellent potential in creating wearable e-textiles. Recent research in this area has led to the development of fibre-based electronic, optoelectronic, energy harvesting, energy storage, and sensing devices, which have also been integrated into multifunctional e-textile systems. Here we review the key technological advancements in FBDs and provide an updated critical evaluation of the status of the research in this field. Focusing on various aspects of materials development, device fabrication, fibre processing, textile integration, and scaled-up manufacturing we discuss current limitations and present an outlook on how to address the future development of this field. The critical analysis of key challenges and existing opportunities in fibre electronics aims to define a roadmap for future applications in this area

Temperature-dependent Inhibition of Hypocotyl Elongation in Some Soybean Cultivars: I. Localization of Ethylene Evolution and Role of Cotyledons 1 Downloaded from

Apical 2-cm hypocotyl segments from seedlings of a "short-hypocotyl" cultivar Amsoy 71, like whole seedlings, evolve about twice as much ethylene at 25°C as at 30°C. Segments consisting of two cotyledons and an attached epicotyl evolve ethylene at low rates at both 25°C and 30°C. Hypocotyl segments from seedlings of Cutler 71 also show enhanced ethylene evolution at 25°C. Hypocotyl segments from Corsoy, a "longhypocotyl" cultivar, however, evolve ethylene at low rates at both 25°C and 30°C. Wounding of Amsoy 71 hypocotyl segments does not increase their ethylene evolution. Ethylene evolution at 25°C is reduced and the short-hypocotyl phenomenon is reversed by partial (50%) removal of Amsoy 71 cotyledons at planting time. Key words: Cotyledons -Ethylene -Hypocotyl elongation -Temperature sensitivity. Certain soybean cultivars exhibit poor emergence when planted at a depth of 10 cm and grown at 25°C. The poor emergence is a consequence of reduced hypocotyl elongation (Burris and Fehr 1971 Abbreviations: H, apical 2-cm hypocotyl segment; HW, wounded hypocotyl segment; C + E, cotyledons+ epicotyl; C + E+H, cotyledons+epicotyl + hypocotyl segment left attached to each other; pt, plant part; PVC, polyvinyl chloride; SD, standard deviation

Using response surface methodology to opitmize the operating parameters in a top-spray fluidized bed coating system

YesThe fluidized bed coating system is a conventional process of particles coating in various industries. In this work, an experimental investigation was conducted using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize the coating mass of particles in a top-spray fluidized bed coating. The design of experiments (DOEs) is a useful tool for controlling and optimization of products in industry. Thus, DOE was conducted using MINITAB software, version 16. This process used a sodium silicate solution for coating the sodium percarbonate particles. The effect of the fluidization air flow rate, atomization air flow rate and liquid flow rate on the coating mass in the top-spray fluidized bed coating was investigated. The experimental results indicated that the coating mass of particles is directly proportional to the liquid flow rate of the coating solution and inversely proportional to the air flow rate. It was demonstrated that the flow rate of the coating solution had the greatest influence on the coating efficiency.Metallic Material Processing Research Group, ACECR, Branch of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

The cognitive profile of people with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders

Several studies have examined the cognitive profile of people with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (IQ > 70), and its relationship with the symptoms of ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV). However, no data exist on the similarities or differences in this profile in less affluent countries. The present study examined the cognitive profile and its relationship with the symptoms of ASD and ADHD in 30 subjects aged 6�16 years with high-functioning ASD and compared the results with those of 30 typically developing (TD) subjects. In line with previous research findings, the WISC-IV cognitive profile analysis of subjects with high-functioning ASD showed a good competence in Matrix Reasoning and weaknesses in Comprehension, but the main distinguishing point was the competence in processing speed in both groups. In the present study, the Verbal Comprehension Index correlated negatively with the communication symptoms, and the Working Memory Index correlated positively with the social symptoms in the ASD group. Given the similarities that exist between the results of the present research and previous studies, it may be concluded that there are similarities in the cognitive profile of individuals with ASD. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Prevalence of nosocomial infections in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Nosocomial infections represent a serious public health concern worldwide, and, especially, in developing countries where, due to financial constraints, it is difficult to control infections. This study aimed to review and assess the prevalence of nosocomial infections in Iran. Methods: Different databases were searched between January 2000 and December 2017. To determine the pooled prevalence, the stochastic DerSimonian-Laird model was used, computing the effect size with its 95 confidence interval. To examine the heterogeneity among studies, the I2 test were conducted. The reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) checklist was used to assess the methodological quality of observational studies. To further investigate the source of heterogeneity, meta-regression analyses stratified by publication year, sample size and duration of hospitalization in the hospital were carried out. Results: 52 studies were included. Based on the random-effects model, the overall prevalence of nosocomial infection in Iran was 4.5 95% CI: 3.5 to 5.7 with a high, statistically significant heterogeneity (I2=99.82%). A sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure the stability results. After removing each study, results did not change. A cumulative meta-analysis of the included studies was performed based on year of publication and the results did not change. In the present study, a high rate of infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae (urinary tract, respiratory tract, and bloodstream infections) was found. Conclusion: Preventing and reducing hospital infections can significantly impact on reducing mortality and health-related costs. Implementing ad hoc programs, such as training healthcare staff on admission to the hospital, may play an important role in reducing infections spreading. © Iran University of Medical Sciences

Molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles enable rapid, reliable, and robust point-of-care thermal detection of SARS-CoV-2

Rapid antigen tests are currently used for population screening of COVID-19. However, they lack sensitivity and utilize antibodies as receptors, which can only function in narrow temperature and pH ranges. Consequently, molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) are synthetized with a fast (2 h) and scalable process using merely a tiny SARS-CoV-2 fragment (∼10 amino acids). The nanoMIPs rival the affinity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies under standard testing conditions and surpass them at elevated temperatures or in acidic media. Therefore, nanoMIP sensors possess clear advantages over antibody-based assays as they can function in various challenging media. A thermal assay is developed with nanoMIPs electrografted onto screen-printed electrodes to accurately quantify SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Heat transfer-based measurements demonstrate superior detection limits compared to commercial rapid antigen tests and most antigen tests from the literature for both the alpha (∼9.9 fg mL-1) and delta (∼6.1 fg mL-1) variants of the spike protein. A prototype assay is developed, which can rapidly (∼15 min) validate clinical patient samples with excellent sensitivity and specificity. The straightforward epitope imprinting method and high robustness of nanoMIPs produce a SARS-CoV-2 sensor with significant commercial potential for population screening, in addition to the possibility of measurements in diagnostically challenging environments